Deadly twisters hit Fort Worth

Storms kill four, take heavy toll on downtown

Published: Wednesday, March 29, 2000

FORT WORTH (AP) Two tornadoes carved paths of destruction through the Fort Worth area, killing four people and injuring at least 48 as the storms shattered office building windows, overturned cars and uprooted trees as rush hour ended Tuesday night.

''We have a number of high-rise buildings that have sustained heavy damage,'' said Lt. Kent Worley, a spokesman for the Fort Worth Fire Department. ''They looked like they did not have a single pane of glass left in them.''

Worley said two people died in the tornado and two others were killed in storm-related flooding. Several others were unaccounted for.

He said emergency workers were assessing injuries from the twister, which was focused on central and northern parts of the downtown area. Three people were arrested on suspicion of looting.

A tornado crosses the Trinity River on the west side of Fort Worth, Texas, and heads for downtown, Tuesday, March 28, 2000. A powerful tornado blew through downtown just after rush hour Tuesday night, shattering windows in high-rise buildings, overturning cars and uprooting trees. At least 20 people were injured.

Associated Press Photo

''It's somewhat of a miracle that there aren't more injuries than we've found out about so far,'' Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr said at a news conference with other city officials.

Based on reports from tornado spotters, Fire Chief Larry McMillen said the storm spawned two tornadoes. One took a northerly route, while the second moved southeast through the downtown area.

The storm moved on east-southeasterly into Arlington and Grand Prairie, he said.

Twelve injuries, all minor, were reported to the east in nearby Arlington, and 82 people were left homeless, said Officer Brad Blackman with the Arlington Police Department. The American Red Cross put up shelters at the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, in Grand Prairie and in River Oaks.

TXU Electric and Gas reported about 30,000 customers were without power in western, northern and central parts of Fort Worth. Crews scattered throughout the area to fix downed power lines. It was unclear how long cleanup would take.

Barr said about 100 trained specialists with the Texas Urban Search Rescue Team were scheduled to arrive by daybreak to help with search and rescue efforts. The Texas Legislature created the group after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing to respond to catastrophes.

Sean Finley, manager of Reata, a popular restaurant on the top floor of the 35-story Bank One building in Fort Worth, said his business was destroyed. ''Imagine a large bomb going off,'' he said.

Patrons and employees had to evacuate down 35 flights of stairs to safety, he said.

Television stations reported that more than a dozen buildings received major damage on West 7th Street, including a 7-Eleven convenience store that was destroyed.

Katrina Weston of Arlington, just east of Fort Worth, told WFAA-TV that when she opened the door of her house, she saw the storm blow shingles from her roof.

''We closed the door, went in the bathroom, went in the bathtub,'' Weston said. ''We have no back fence at all; it literally wiped paint off the back of the house."

There are sirens everywhere and we have no power.''

The Fort Worth-Tarrant County Emergency Management Office was opened to deal with the situation from below-ground offices in City Hall.

''We're assessing the damage,'' Worley said. ''We know this is going to be a long night.''

The National Weather Service reported that Doppler radar and tornado spotters saw a twister around 6:30 p.m.